Sky Sports to show 19 Sky Bet EFL clubs live in August and September

Nine fixtures added to TV schedule for start of 2017/18 season

Nine fixtures have been added to the Sky Sports live schedule for the new Sky Bet EFL campaign

Sky Sports will visit 11 different stadiums and show 19 teams from the EFL live in a bumper start to the season across August and September.

The first match of the season comes from the Stadium of Light as Sunderland take on Derby County on Friday, August 4, with a further nine matches now added to the live schedule.

Garry Monk's Middlesbrough host Sheffield United for their first home match back in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday August 12, kick-off 5.30pm, then six days later, Harry Redknapp's Birmingham City visit Burton Albion.

Steve Bruce will hope by the time he takes Aston Villa to Bristol City for another Friday evening encounter on August 25, his side will have made a strong start and be competing at the top of the table.

And, after the international break, there are two blockbuster fixtures to look forward to, as Derby host Hull while fellow promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday entertain Nottingham Forest.

Former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers feature in the first weekend of September as they adapt to life in the third tier of English football, with Fleetwood Town the visitors to Ewood Park on an afternoon that also sees Portsmouth host Rotherham.

Sky Sports live EFL fixtures

August 4

Sunderland v Derby

(7.45pm)

August 5

Aston Villa v Hull

(5.30pm)

August 6

Bolton v Leeds

(4.30pm)

August 12

Middlesbrough v Sheff Utd

(5.30pm)

August 18

Burton v Birmingham

(7.45pm)

August 19

Sunderland v Leeds

(5.30pm)

August 25

Bristol City v Aston Villa

(7.45pm)

August 26

Nottingham Forest v Leeds

(5.30pm)

September 2

Bradford v Bristol Rovers

(12.30pm)

September 3

Blackburn v Fleetwood

(12.15pm)

September 3

Portsmouth v Rotherham

(2.30pm)

September 8

Derby v Hull

(7.45pm)

September 9

Sheff Wed v Nottingham Forest

(5.30pm)

Gary Hughes, Head of Football at Sky Sports, said: "There are big names and big clubs right across the EFL and Sky Sports will tell the whole story this season.

"The first six weeks of the season are impossible to predict, so expect dramatic matches and great moments that will set the tone."

Sky Sports will show 127 exclusively live matches from the 2017/18 Sky Bet EFL season - including the play-offs - as well as 15 matches from the Carabao Cup.

Sky Sports live Carabao Cup fixtures

August 9

Colchester v Aston Villa

(7.45pm)

August 10

Bury v Sunderland

(7.45pm)

It's all part of another stellar season of football on Sky Sports which features 126 matches from the new Premier League season, all in Ultra HD on Sky Q.

Football fans will also be able to enjoy the final group matches and play-offs from the FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers, 30 matches from the SPFL Premiership including every Old Firm match, the Scottish Cup, Spain's La Liga, MLS, Eredivisie, the Chinese Super League and more.